Tempeh is a soy-based product that typically utilizes Rhizopus oligosporus to ferment soybeans. R. oligosporus is also used to ferment other legumes.
The present invention utilizes mycelium from select, referenced strains of Basidiomycota and Ascomycota fungi grown in liquid-state culture to solid-state ferment agricultural materials containing or admixed with plant, vegetable and or fungi biomass, so as to directly or indirectly facilitate the production of nutraceuticals and or functional foods specifically intended for human consumption. These protocols are unique in that they employ a zero-waste philosophy in combination with new methods for producing functional foods and nutraceutical formulations which may be used directly, stored for later use, packaged and or shipped.
Mycelium has been used primarily as a source for medicinal extracts and animal food, while the fruiting bodies or mushrooms were used as human food. The novel methodology as disclosed herein exploits mycelial tissue, which can be derived by fermentation of a substrate by a number of gourmet and medicinal fungi, many of which may function interchangeably. A variety of agricultural substrate(s) may be used with the present invention.
Classical fungi produce spore-bearing mushrooms and or vegetative mycelium which contain pharmacologically active metabolites including polysaccharides, glycoproteins, enzymes, triterpenes, phenols and sterols. Mushrooms and mycelium are very similar in that they both produce polysaccharides and metabolites, the ingestion of which induces positive immunomodulation in the human body. However, fruiting mushrooms can be time consuming. This invention quickly produces myceliated gourmet functional foods and nutraceuticals which are protein-rich with taste and texture similar to mushrooms, meat and or meat substitutes, and achieves in these products a wide variety of flavors, colors, smells, and textures. By transforming myceliated grain and myceliated agricultural substrate, novel products are created which provide unique properties similar to mushrooms and or mycelium, including potential as delicious and nutritious meat substitutes.
Metabolites from more than 650 mushroom species are known to have anti-tumor and immunomodulatory effects on humans. Fungi used in this work were chosen because of their unique cell wall polysaccharides and their transformative ability to excrete specific metabolites into substrate to ferment and break it down into smaller molecules for absorption. Most medicinal and or gourmet mushrooms take a long time to come to fruition. In contrast, this invention produces nutraceutical and functional food products that are in some cases more potent than methods utilizing mushroom fruiting bodies.
Fungi are metabolically similar to animals but structurally similar to plants in that they possess a rigid cell wall formed largely of long sugar molecule chains joined by somewhat difficult to digest beta (b-) linkages and to a smaller extent more easily digestible alpha (a-) linkages in conjunction with membrane-bound proteins. In contrast, plant cell walls are made of cellulose polysaccharides whose (1→4) b-glycosidic glucose linkages are likewise difficult to digest by our enzymes; however, as the cell walls of fungi are primarily composed of (1→3) b-glycosidic linkages, with (1→6) linked side chains, they may be broken down by minimal processing using water, heat and mechanical treatment into smaller, more easily digestible, immunologically-active polysaccharide molecules of variable microparticulate size called b-glucans, and related glycoprotein compounds. The immune response to these glucans is dependent upon a- or b-glucan structure, which has primary, secondary, and chiral tertiary structures, explaining the differences in immune response to each fungi's unique a- and or b-glucan profile. Thus, myceliated substrate, with its plethora of unique, immunologically active molecules, is efficiently processed after fermentation into nutraceutical formulations and or compounds and functional foods whose oral activity increases after formulating the extract in association with small molecules in nutraceutical production and in acid hydrolysis (enzymatic digestion) of tempeh-syle myceliated grain substrate. These types of products may attract consumers who wish to derive the general immunomodulating, anti-aging, aphrodisiac, anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and or anti-fungal properties, activities, and benefits, by orally consuming substrate which has been converted to edible presentations of a- and b-glucans, glycoproteins, proteins, ergosterols, sterols, triterpenes, and fatty acids in the form of nutraceuticals and functional foods.
The invention includes various embodiments including:
A myceliated agricultural product for human consumption including an agricultural substrate such as rice, the agricultural substrate is inoculated by liquid media comprising an aliquot of culture derived from liquid-state fermentation. In one embodiment, the culture is a Basidiomycota fungi, and in another embodiment, the culture is Ascomycota fungi. The liquid-state fermentation yields spherical conglomerations of culture that are sized to interstitially penetrate the substrate to optimize inoculation of the substrate.
The substrate can be any of the enumerated substrates set forth herein, including grain, green coffee beans, green cacao beans, green vanilla beans, various seeds, rice, and non-legume beans.
The spherical conglomerations are sized smaller than 2 millimeters in one embodiment, which allow for and enable growth of hyphae in three dimensions about the spherical conglomerations. This accelerates the myceliation process.
In another embodiment, when stirred or otherwise agitated, the hyphae are sheared due to the agitation of the liquid media to limit the size of the conglomerations to between 10 microns to 1 millimeter in diameter.
The substrate can be pasteurized or sterilized, depending on the substrate.
In one embodiment, the liquid media is stationary, and the liquid-state fermentation is performed in an undisturbed environment, which is semi-anaerobic utilizing the Pasteur effect to greatly enhance and direct mycelial growth downward from a floating mass into the stationary liquid media.
In an alternate embodiment, the liquid media is continuously swirled during liquid-state fermentation and sterile air is injected to deliver oxygen to the liquid media.
In yet another embodiment, the liquid media is housed in a tank, and portions of the liquid media are selectively removed and replaced by new media, which is sterile, to enable continuous harvest of liquid media. This enhances production efficiency.
Various health benefits of the present invention are apparent, and in one embodiment, the myceliated agricultural product for human consumption is intended to effectuate neuro-regeneration and neuro-protection in humans. In this embodiment the agricultural substrate has substrate elements defining interstitial spaces there between, such as rice. The substrate is at least partially coated with a mixture of vegetable oil and lecithin. The vegetable oil increases the interstitial space between substrate elements to improve myceliation and the lecithin enhances neuro-protective effects of the product. The culture is selected from the group consisting of: Hericium erinaceus and Tremella fuciformis, which have proven neuro-regeneration properties in humans. It is noteworthy that the mycelium of Hericium erinaceus has been indicated to include components that improve neuroregeneration effects over the components found in the fruiting body of the Hericium erinaceus. 
Preferably the vegetable oil is olive oil, which may have neuro-protectant properties.